Vanished
by CJfaninSTL
Summary: After enjoying a beautiful day in Boston, Lily and Bug are horrified when someone takes off in their vehicle with their baby girl Madeline inside.  Can Jordan and Woody track down the kidnapper and bring Maddie home safely?
1. Chapter 1: Tough Pickup

Vanished

"Jordan, I need you to make a pick-up. It's a tough one. It's an infant girl," Chief medical examiner Garret Macy said.

"Is foul play suspected?" Jordan asked as she took the paper with the address on it from Macy.

"No, she died during the night in her sleep. It looks like Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but we won't know for sure until you autopsy her. I'm going home for the day. Call me if you have any problems." He said as he and Jordan headed towards the elevators.

Ten minutes later, Jordan pulled up to a small house on a quiet street in a Boston suburb. There were two police cars and an ambulance parked out front. The E.M.T's were packing up their gear in preparation to leave. Jordan approached an officer standing just inside the door to the house.

"I'm Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh. I'm the medical examiner assigned to the case. Where's the body?"

"I'm Officer Melissa Daniels. I was first on scene. That's the baby's mother over there. Her name is Mandi Peters," The Officer said pointing to a very distraught woman sitting on the living room couch, sobbing as a female neighbor tried to comfort her. "She says she put her baby to bed around 8 o'clock last night, then went to bed herself around ten. She woke up at seven this morning and was surprised that the baby was still sleeping as she normally wakes up around two-thirty, and again between five-thirty and six. She went to check on her and found her blue and unresponsive. She called 911, but there was nothing they could do. She's in here." Officer Daniels led Jordan down a short hallway and into a small nursery. The baby was still in her crib.

"She's so small. She can't be more than three months old," Jordan said quietly.

"Eleven weeks. Her name is…was Ali. She was all her mother had. Her father isn't in the picture. They split up when Ms. Peters found out she was pregnant. He hasn't even met his daughter. Now he'll never get the chance.

"Well, let's get her to the morgue. The quicker we find out why she died, the better off Mandi Peters will be," Jordan said as she looked sadly at the infant in the crib.


	2. Chapter 2: Cause of Death

Later that day, Jordan began the autopsy of the Peters infant. Her job was never easy, but these were the cases she hated the most.

"She has a bluish tint to her skin and other signs of asphyxiation. Look at her eyes. There are purple splotches in her eyes." Jordan told her co-worker, Nigel Townsend.

"Do you think it was intentional?" he asked.

"It's possible, young mother not able to handle the stress of a new baby…we've seen it before, but I don't think that's the case here. There are no marks or bruises on her like she'd been strangled and there was no pillow or other item in the room to indicate she was smothered. No traces of bedding on her nose or in her mouth either. Can you do me a favor Nige, could you call the mother for me a see if she's available for me to come over and ask her a couple of questions?"

"Sure, love, but why go there? Why not have her come here?"

"I don't want her to have to be here anymore than absolutely necessarily. Besides, part of the reason I want to go there is I want to see baby Ali's room again and look for something in her crib that may have lead to her death."

"I'm on it."

"Thanks, Nige." Jordan told him as he headed for the door, "Hey Nigel, hold on a second," she said stopping him.

"Did you find something?"

"Yeah, there's some kind of white fir or fuzz in her left nostril. Very small," Jordan used some tweezers to pull the fir from the infant's nose. "Can you run this for me and see if you can figure out what it is?" Nigel nodded as he put the sample in a small evidence bag and left the room.

"Hi, Jordan! What's up?" Lily Lebowski asked her friend later that day.

"Hi, Lily…listen, I know you are no longer a grief counselor, but I have a huge favor to ask you and I'll understand if you say no, but I'm really hoping you won't…."

"What is it? Sounds big."

"We have an eleven week old baby in the morgue. It appears she died of asphyxiation. I'm going over to her home to speak with her mother today and I could really use some moral support, so I was hoping you would go with me," Jordan asked.

"Oh how terrible! Do you want me to talk to her for you?"

"Well, I just need someone who can listen while I take a look at the baby's room. I don't think it's a case of foul play, but if I can determine why she suffocated, I can close the case and release the body to this poor woman."

"Sure. I'll go with you. Bug will be home in about a half an hour to watch Madeline so I'm all yours after that."

"Thanks, Lily. You're amazing! I'll come by to pick you up." Jordan said as she hung up the phone and headed towards the elevator. The doors opened right before she reached them. Jordan's face broke into a huge smile when she saw Detective Woody Hoyt step out of that elevator. She and Woody had become very serious ever since she mustered up the courage to tell him that she loved him a few weeks before.

"Ah, mi Amor!" Woody said as he gave her a quick kiss. "Where are you off too?"

"Working on a case. Will you come over to my place later? I'll tell you all about it," Jordan said as she rubbed the base of her achy neck.

"Tough one, huh?" Woody said with concern. "Yeah, I get off at five so I'll come over after that. I'll pick up some take out from Yeng Chow's on the way."

"Sounds great." Jordan smiled as she patted his cheek with her hand before stepping into the elevator. Woody watched it close before heading off to find Dr. Kate Switzer to get some paper work from her.


	3. Chapter 3: Hardest Part

"Ms. Peters? Hi, I don't know if you remember me from the other day, but I'm Doctor Jordan Cavanaugh of the Medical Examiner's office. I was hoping to talk to you about the night before your baby's passing. I'm trying to put the pieces together and get you some answers as to what happened." Jordan said as she and Lily stood on the front porch. Mandi Peters opened the door to let the two women inside.

"Come on in. "

"Ms. Peters, I'm Lily Lebowski. I am a friend and former co-worker of Dr. Cavanaugh's. Actually I'm a grief counselor. I'd like to talk to you and help you through this process if I could. Can we sit?"

"Yes…yes of course. Umm…I don't have much to drink in the house, but I do have some tea if you'd like…" Mandi Peters offered, but Lily and Jordan politely declined.

"Miss Peters, could you just walk me through your routine the night before your baby's death? Was she showing any signs of illness or anything like that?"

"Please call me Mandi. Ali was fine all day. She sleeps…slept…quite a bit during the day. She was so little still. The night before…I gave her a bath and nursed her, then rocked her to sleep. I put her down at the usual time around eight. She was fine. She was…she was beautiful and…" Mandi Peters' voice broke as she fought back the tears.

"Take your time," Lily said gently.

"She was okay when I checked on her before I went to bed at ten. She would normally wake up at two or three and want to be fed, but she didn't that day and I slept through it. What kind of mother am I? Why didn't I notice Ali wasn't up and wake up myself?"

"Mandi, after examining Ali, I place time of death around midnight, so even if you had gotten up at two in the morning and checked on her, there would have been nothing you could do about it. She was gone. I'm very sorry."

"I already miss her so much. What am I going to do?"

"Was Ali born premature or with any complications at birth?" Jordan asked.

"No, she was actually a couple of days past due. The birth was fine without any complications and she hadn't had any problems at all since. I took her for all her check-ups and the pediatrician said she was right on target."

"Would you mind if I took a look at Ali's crib while Lily talks to you a bit?"

"No, not at all. I'll do anything I can to help you find out what happened to my baby girl," Mandi said as she wiped tears from her eyes. As Lily sat and talked with the young mother, Jordan walked down to the infant's room. She looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The room clean and organized. Jordan walked over to the crib. In the crib was a musical toy attached to the side and a burp cloth in the corner. Jordan was about to leave the room when she noticed a stuffed bear lying underneath the crib. She picked it up. It had white fur on it, much like the fur Jordan found in the nose of the infant. Jordan brought the bear out to the living room.

"Mandi, was this bear in the crib with Ali when you put her to bed?"

"Yes, my mother gave it to Ali right after she was born. She always slept with it. Why do you ask?"

"Was it right next to her in the crib?"

"Yes. I liked to put it next to Ali's face so that she could look at it. Ali slept best on her tummy with her head to the side so I would put the bear where she usually faced at night," Mandi explained.

"You put Ali on her stomach at night?" Lily asked quietly.

"Yes. She seemed to sleep better that why. What is this all about?"

"Mandi…." Jordan began slowly, "we found some white fur much like that of this bear in Ali's nostril. All indications are that she suffocated. I…I…think that this bear may be the reason she suffocated. She put her head on it and was unable to breath, ultimately leading to her death."

"What?" Mandi yelled. "Are you saying that…that my baby is dead because I put the bear next to her head in her crib?" Jordan couldn't answer with words, but her nod said it all. At that moment, Mandi lost it and collapsed to the floor in sobs, yelling Ali's name.


	4. Chapter 4: Gone in an Instant

Jordan arrived home around 5:30 that evening. She let herself into her apartment. Woody was taking cartons of Chinese food out of a plastic bag and scooping the contents onto two plates.

"Hey Jord…Jordan, what's wrong?" he asked immediately when he looked up and saw the look of anguish on Jordan's face. He rushed to her side.

"I just had to tell a young mother that she unintentionally killed her eleven week old baby by putting a stuffed bear in her crib. It was the worst thing I've ever had to tell anyone. She was a mess. I don't know how she will ever survive that." Jordan looked up at Woody. He pulled her into his arms and just held her for awhile. "I needed that." She said, managing a small smile when he finally let go.

"At least now you can release the body to her so she can have the memorial."

"It won't be much of one. Ali was all she had with the exception of her mother who lives in Missouri. The baby's father is not in the picture, no siblings, just a few friends…She everything when her baby died." Jordan pulled her shoes off and tossed them aside. "Look, Woody, I'm really sorry you went to so much trouble to get this food and set it out, but I really don't have much of an appetite tonight."

"I understand. Why don't you go put on something comfy and I'll pack up this food and put it in the fridge for later. Then come back out her and I'll give you a massage." Woody said as he brushed Jordan's hair from her eyes. Jordan smiled and kissed him.

"Have I told you today how much I love you?" Jordan asked.

"Hmmm…not today, no." he said with a wink. "I love you too." Jordan kissed him again then headed off to find some sweats as Woody began to put the food away.

The next afternoon was a beautiful day in Boston. Lily and Bug decided to take Madeline out for lunch and a walk. They walked to a little café near the harbor. After ordering their lunch, they just talked, played with, and admired Maddie. As they finished their lunch and headed out on their walk, Lily nearly bumped into Mandi Peters.

"Miss Peters? Hi….how are you doing today?" Lily asked.

"I…I'm not great, but…you know." She said softly as she looked from Lily to the baby in the stroller. "Is this your baby?"

"Yes. This is Madeline."

"She's beautiful. How old is she?" Mandi asked softly.

"She's thirteen weeks." Lily was a bit uncomfortable given the situation, but forced a slight smile. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? This is Maddie's stepfather. He call him, Bug."

"Hi, Miss Peters," Bug said extending his hand. "Lily told me about your loss. I'm very sorry."

"Thank you," Mandi said, still looking at Madeline. "I…ah…I need to go." With that, she rushed off.

"That was rough," Lily said. "I feel so bad for her. It couldn't have been easy to see us here with our perfectly healthy baby girl."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't, but we couldn't do anything about it. Come on. Let's go for that walk."

The trio walked for nearly an hour and did a little shopping until the time came for Bug to head to the morgue for his shift. Lily started the car and put Madeline into her car seat first and then went to the back of the SUV to help Bug load their bags and the stroller into the back. They had just closed the trunk door, when suddenly someone jumped into the driver's seat and sped off in the car, with Madeline inside.

"MADDIE!" Lily screamed as she and Bug started running after the car, but it was no use. The vehicle was out of sight within seconds. "MY BABY'S IN THERE! MADDIE! HELP! MY BABY!" Lily continued to scream uncontrollably. Bug fumbled with the buttons on his cell phone as he dialed 911. He frantically told the operator what had happened, then hung up the phone and tried to calm Lily down, but it was no use.


	5. Chapter 5: Amber Alert

Woody was in his office at the police station when Officer Alex O'Bryan from missing persons came to his door.

"Hey, O'Bryan! What brings you up here?"

"Listen, Hoyt, we have an alleged stranger abduction of an infant that occurred about twenty minutes ago. I know you don't work missing persons, but the mother and stepfather asked the officers on scene to get in touch with you and ask you to go out there."

"They asked for me personally? Well who was it? Who is the baby?" Woody asked.

"The mother is Lily Lebowski and the baby is…" but before Officer O'Bryan could finish, Woody jumped out of his chair and interrupted.

"Maddie! Someone took Maddie?" he asked and O'Bryan nodded. "Where? Where are they?"

"Here's the address. I wrote it down for you. "

"Call the morgue. Ask for either Garret Macy or Jordan Cavanaugh and tell them what's going on and to get to that address a.s.a.p." Woody said as he snatched the paper from the officer's hand.

"The morgue? What for? There's no body…"

"Just do it!" he yelled as he raced out the door, down the hallway then out to the street and to his car as fast as he could. He immediately put on his siren and headed to the scene.

"Woody!" Lily cried out as soon as she saw him. "Someone took Maddie! We've got to find her, Woody!"

"We will, Lily. We will." Woody said as he gave her a quick hug. "Were's Bug?"

"Right here." Bug said as he and two officers approached Woody.

"Run me through what happened." Woody said as Bug gave him a detailed account of what happened. Lily sat on the curb rocking back and forth with her head in her hands, saying Maddie's name over and over.

"Can you give me a description of the person?" Woody asked.

"No, I can't. We were behind the car. Neither of us saw the person walking up to the vehicle or getting in. It happened so fast. The car just sped away and was gone within a matter of seconds."

"Okay, we are getting an Amber Alert out with a description of your car and the license plate number. Did you give the officers a description of what Maddie was wearing?"

"Yes, and we also gave them a picture I had in my wallet of her," Bug answered.

"Okay, everything that can be done is being done by every officer in this city. We need to get the media involved and get Maddie's picture out on every news station we can. My guess is that whoever took the car didn't realize there was an infant in the backseat. He or she probably was just trying to steal the car. Usually when that happens, the baby is found unharmed in a public place soon after. Has anyone contacted Maddie's father?"

"I called his cell and told him to call me back, but so far he hasn't," Bug said. Woody pulled him off to the side so as to be out of Lily's earshot.

"Is there any chance that Brandau could have had anything to do with his daughter's abduction?"

"Why would he do that? He can see her pretty much whenever he wants and he's established here in the city. He has no reason to."

"Still, I'm going to look into it. I'm going to have the officer call the District Attorney's office and have them get in touch with Brandau or one of the other ADA's who may know where he is." Woody took out his cell phone and stepped away.

Moments later, Garret, Jordan and Nigel pulled up to the scene. They raced to Lily and Bug and engulfed them in a hug.

"She's gone. Maddie is gone. Someone took her." Lily kept saying.

"You listen to me, Lily, we are going to find her. Even if we have to knocked on every door and search every house in this country, we will find her. Madeline will come back to you." Garret said with his hands on Lily's face.

"Do you promise?" Lily asked through tears.

"I promise." Garret said.


	6. Chapter 6: Possible Suspect?

"There's nothing more we can do here," Woody told the group. "Let me drive the two of you home."

"Detective Hoyt, we have the baby's father on the phone," one of the officer's on the scene told Woody as he handed him a phone. Woody took it and stepped away from the group.

"I can't go home and just sit there! Not when Maddie is out here somewhere," Lily cried.

"I'm going to get to my laptop and start a find Maddie website. I'll put pictures, contact information, and other information on it. We'll send the link to all the news media across the country." Nigel said as he gave Lily a quick kiss on the cheek, and Bug a pat on the back. "I'll call you later."

"Thanks, Nige," Bug said quietly as Nigel hurried off.

"Woody's right, there's nothing left to do here. Let's get you two home in case someone with information tries to get a hold of you," Jordan said. She put her arm around Lily.

"Alright, I gave Brandau the cliff notes version of what happened. He's leaving work now and will meet us back at your place, Lily. Let's go," Woody said after he had rejoined the group.

Ten minutes later, Woody, Jordan, Bug, Lily and Garret walked into the quiet two bedroom apartment that is normally full with joyful sounds. Now it was quiet. Too quiet. Lily picked up one of Maddie's baby blankets from the couch and hugged it close to her.

"I can't believe this is happening. This is all my fault. Why did I put the keys in the ignition with Maddie in the car and then just walk away?"

"You listen to me, Lily," Bug said as he sat next to Lily and held her close, "This is not your fault. It's not my fault. Whoever took the car is to blame and no one else. You didn't walk away. You were putting things in the trunk. You didn't abandon her."

Just then, Maddie's father, Jeffrey Brandau barged into the apartment.

"Any word on Maddie?" he asked frantically. Lily shook her head.

"Not yet. Listen," Woody asked, turning to Brandau, "we are looking into every possibility and in doing so, I have to ask you where you were this afternoon?"

"Are you really asking me that, Woody? What, you think I kidnapped my own daughter? What's the matter with you?"

"I have to ask, Brandau. It's my job."

"I was at a business lunch, dammit," he said angrily.

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"Yeah, the D.A. for one. It was Walcott's meeting. There was also several other A.D.A's there. Want me to make a list?"

"No…no. That won't be necessary," Woody said.

"Good. Now that we've established that that I didn't take my own daughter, can you please get out there and do your job and find my baby?"

"I'm working on it," Woody kneeled down next to Bug and Lily. "I'm going to the precinct to check with missing persons as well as vehicle thefts to see if there are any other similar cases of either. I will call you as soon as I know or hear anything. I'm also going to call the local news myself and try to get them out here. If we can get Maddie's name and face on the news, it will help." He said as he gently touched Lily's hand.

"Thank you, Woody," Bug said.

"Don't thank me yet. Save that for when I bring your daughter home." He said as he headed towards the door.

"I'll walk you out," Jordan said as she followed behind him.

"Are you going to stay here with Bug and Lily tonight?" Woody asked once the two were in the hallway outside Bug and Lily's apartment.

"Yeah. I want to be here in case Lily needs to talk, or in case…in case we don't get the news we are praying for." Jordan said, her voice getting lower as she finished out that sentence. "Besides, I don't think it would do me any good to be at my place. It's not like anyone is going to get any sleep until Maddie is found anyway.

"Yeah, I know. I'll call you in a little while. I love you," he said as he kissed her.

"I love you, too." She watched him leave then took a deep breath before heading back inside.


	7. Chapter 7: Discovery

Woody spent the next couple of hours checking missing persons data basis from the area as well as car theft records. He found no similarities between any open cases and Lily's baby or car. Maddie had been gone for four hours now, which worried him. He had hoped it was simply a car theft where the assailant didn't know a baby was in the car, and when that was discovered, the car and Maddie would be found in a public place.

"Detective," Officer O'Bryan said as he came into Woody's office, "we have a report of an abandoned car matching the description of Lebowski's vehicle. It's about five miles from here parked in a grocery store parking lot. Here's the address. I thought you'd want to check it out." He handed him the paper in his hand.

"Thanks, O'Bryan," Woody said grabbed his jacket and hurried out the door. He arrived at the grocery store parking lot a few minutes later. He knew instantly that it was Lily's car. It didn't look like anyone was inside, but he wasn't taking any chances. He drew his gun out and approached the car slowly. He peered inside the front window. No one there. Slowly, he opened up the back door. No Maddie. The car was empty. Woody knew better than to touch anything. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jordan's number.

"Hey, Woody," Jordan said when she answered the phone. "Any news?"

"Yeah, we found Lily's car. It's empty. Can you sneak out and bring a field kit over to go through it? I don't want to tell Lily or Bug about this until we know more." Jordan said she would and after getting the address from Woody, she hung up the phone. She made up a lie about going to pick up some dinner for them and left. On the way, she called Nigel to have him meet her there. He pulled up just after she did. The two of them dusted for fingerprints and bagged a few hairs that were on the driver's seat. After taking a few photos, Nigel took the kit and headed back to the morgue to run tests.

"I need to get back to Lily's and fill her in on this," Jordan said quietly.

"I'm done here. I'll follow you back…Wait, what's that under the seat?" Woody leaned down and pulled a small bear from underneath the front passenger seat.

"That's Maddie's. Woody, if the person who took her left the car and kept Maddie, that means they were after Maddie and not the car all along doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that's what it looks like. Come on, let's go." He locked up the car and called for another officer to secure it and tow it to the police impound lot until it was no longer part of the investigation.

When Jordan and Woody arrived back Bug and Lily's place, a news van was parked outside and the t.v. crew was setting up. They were preparing an interview of Lily and Jeffrey, who were standing off to the side with Bug and Garret.

"Woody, I'm glad you're back," Lily began, "Do you think you could join the interview and just tell them where you are in the investigation?"

"I will…but first…" he began, but he had a hard time finding the right words to tell her about the new developments..."but first Jordan and I need to speak with you guys. Away from the cameras and reporter." He motioned for Bug and Jeffrey to join them. They moved out of earshot range of the reporter.

"Lily, we found your car abandoned at a grocery store outside of downtown. Madeline wasn't inside. The car was empty," Jordan said as she handed Lily the bear they had found in the car.

"So then, where's Maddie?" Lily cried out.

"We don't know. There was no sign of her other than this bear. We believe that she was the target of the carjacking. Whoever took the car was actually after Maddie." Jordan fought back tears as she finished telling them what had been found.

"I…I'll be back. I need to go take a minute and compose myself before we do this interview," Jeffrey said as he left the group.

"Lily, why don't you sit down." Bug said, his voice full of sadness and concern. Lily didn't say a word. She just looked at him, then at Woody, then back to Bug. Suddenly and without warning, she collapsed. Bug and Woody both reached for her and caught her before she hit the ground. As they did so, she regained consciousness.

"Here, sit down right here," Bug said. Garret brought Lily over some water, then went to get the t.v. crew to turn off their cameras, which they had turned on when they saw Lily pass out.

"I'm alright," Lily said after she had taken the drink. "Can someone please go get Jeffrey? The quicker we get Maddie's name and face out there, the sooner she will be home…where she belongs."


	8. Chapter 8: Public Appeal

"To the person who has our daughter, Maddie, I don't care right now why you took her, all I care about is getting her home, so please…PLEASE, I beg you, please give me back my baby," Lily begged into the camera.

"Here is a picture of Madeline. She was wearing a yellow onsy and khaki colored pants. She has…she has a birth mark behind her left ear," Bug said as he clung to Lily. "Please…we just want her home."

"Just leave her someone safe. Just bring her to a public place…a hospital, a police station, a bus stop….somewhere safe where she will be found and returned to us as soon as possible," Jeffrey added. "No questions asked. We just want her safe."

"Detective Woody Hoyt, can you give us an update on the investigation?" The reporter asked, pointing the microphone at Woody.

"We really don't have a whole lot of information at this time, but we believe that Maddie was the reason for the carjacking, that she was the target. The car was found abandoned with no sign of the baby inside. We do not know the motive nor have any suspects at this time."

"Detective, you are a homicide detective, correct?" The reporter asked and Woody nodded, "So why is the homicide department involved in a missing persons case? Is there a reason to believe that this story will not have a good outcome?"

"No! Not at all. We are doing everything in our power to bring Madeline Brandau home safely. You are correct that my area is homicide, but Madeline's parents just happen to be very good friends of mine. I have known Ms. Lebowski and Dr. Veejay for several years now and I would…and will…do anything and everything for them. I'm on this case simply as a friend." Woody looked over at Bug and Lily. Both managed a grateful smile as Woody continued, "If you have any information or tips on this case, please call the Boston Police Department immediately. Help us bring Maddie home."

"The number to the police department is on the bottom of the screen as well as our website. Detective, Ms. Leboski, Mr. Brandau, and Dr. Veejay, thank you very much for your time on what is such a difficult day and all the best to you in bringing Maddie home safely." The reporter said as the segment ended.


	9. Chapter 9: Surveillence Video

Lily, Bug, Jeffrey, Garret, and Jordan kept vigil for Maddie all night long at Lily and Bug's apartment, while Nigel remained at the morgue will colleague Kate Switzer going over every piece of evidence found in Lily's car. Woody spent the evening gathering and checking surveillance video from several businesses around the area where car was taken. Both Woody and Nigel called Jordan every couple of hours to update them on their findings. She would this pass along any information to the group.

There was no new information until about 6am that next morning. Woody after going through dozens of film, Woody spotted Lily and Bug walking Madeline along the harbor. He took the DVD to the morgue to have Nigel work his magic and see if they uncovered any new leads.

"Hopefully something will turn up on this video because I've come up pretty empty on the car evidence." Nigel said, "There were fingerprints inside Lily's car that do not belong to her or Bug, but they do not match any database at all so it appears our abductor is either very good at not getting caught, or has never been in any trouble before at all. I also found some hair, not Lily's or Bug's, but definitely female. If I had to wager, I'd say our suspect is a woman."

"Well that doesn't narrow it down much, but it's a start," Woody said as he rubbed his head.

"Hey guys," Jordan said as she entered the room just then.

"Jordan, what are you doing here?" Woody asked.

"I needed to get out of the apartment for a little while. Garret said he would stay with Lily and Bug while I came here to help out. What's all this?"

"Surveillance video from the area where Bug and Lily took Maddie out for a walk. I spotted them in the shot so Nigel is seeing if he can enhance it at all." Woody answered. He and Jordan watched as Nigel carefully went frame by frame, slowing down the video and enhancing it to look for possible clues.

"Right here!" He said pointing to the right of the screen. "There appears to be a woman following Maddie and Bug. Look, look, look…she's watching them!"

"You're right, she is," Woody began as he leaned in to get a better look. "Can you blow that up so we can try and get an i.d.?"

"Already on it. It's pretty blurry, but I'll try the face recognition program to try and get a match with a DMV database. It can take the facial structures and match it with pictures. A work of art in my book." Nigel said as he turned on the machine. Immediately it began to highlight points on the face of the figure in the surveillance video then started going through dozens of photos in the DMV database. Moments later, it returned with thirty-four possible male and female matches. Nigel narrowed the search to just women which brought the number down to twenty-one. "Now, the hair I found in the car was brunette so entering in that information it brings our number down to a much more manageable….thirteen."

"Can you print out their names for me?" Woody asked as he scanned the list.

"I don't think he needs to." Jordan began as she pointed to one of the names on the screen. "I know who our suspect prime is."


	10. Chapter 10: A New Suspect

"Mandi Peters? Yes, actually, we did see her yesterday. She was at the harbor. She asked me about Madeline. Why?...Wait, do you think she's the one who has Maddie?" Lily asked into the phone, her voice growing louder with excitement.

"We're not sure, but the evidence suggests that and now that you tell me you saw her there, I'd say it's a pretty good bet. Woody and I are heading over to her house now." Jordan said.

"I'll meet you there," Lily said quickly and hung up the phone.

Woody and Jordan got to the scene first. They didn't want to spook Mandi, so Woody kept the siren off and just slowly pulled the car into the driveway.

"Let me go first, Woody. She knows me. She might trust me," Jordan said. Woody nodded and followed behind Jordan as she walked up to the door and knocked. They waited, but there was no answer. Jordan knocked again. Still no answer.

"I'll see about getting a warrant to go in and search the place," Woody said, but Jordan had already opened the door. "Jordan, you can't break in!"

"Who's breaking in? The door was unlocked," Jordan replied as she walked into the living room. Woody sighed but and rolled his eyes as if to say, 'how do I always let her talk me into these things'? before following her in to the house.

"I'm going to look in the bedrooms," Jordan said as she walked down the hallway. Woody walked around the living room looking for clues as to where Mandi Peters may have gone. He didn't see anything suspicious. There was a laptop sitting on the couch. He opened it up and found a copy of a flight itinerary pulled up on the screen. Just then, Jordan came back into the room.

"Both bedrooms are in order, except the closets are empty. She packed her clothes and all the infant's clothes. What's that?" She asked as she peered over Woody's shoulder at the computer screen.

"Flight itinerary for last night," Woody answered.

"Where too?"

"St. Louis International Airport in Missouri. Why would she go there?"

"Because it's where her mother lives and where she grew up," Jordan answered.

"Maddie!" Lily exclaimed as she, Bug and Brandau raced into the room.

"She's not here, Lily. We've looked. The closets are empty," Jordan informed her friend.

"Well where are they?"

"We're not sure yet," Woody said, interrupting Jordan before she could tell Lily. "All we know is that she's not here. It looks like she took off. I am going to go back to the precinct and look up her phone and credit card records to see if we can get a hit on where she may be. Jordan, why don't you come with me. Bug, why don't you take Lily back home. We'll call you when we have more information."

Once Woody and Jordan were in the car, Jordan turned to Woody. "Alright, spill? Why didn't you want Lily, Bug and Brandau know about the plane itinerary and where Mandi may be?"

"Because then they would want to go with us."

"Go with us? Where are we going?"

"The airport to catch a flight to St. Louis. We're going to go get Maddie."


	11. Chapter 11: Waiting

"Why hasn't Woody called yet?" Lily asked as she paced back and forth. "It's been three hours since he left Mandi Peter's place. He should know by now if she's used her credit cards or cell phone."

"He said he would call when he knew anything, we just have to be patient," Bug said as he handed her a cup of tea.

"I'm tired of being patient. We've been waiting and waiting and we still don't have Maddie back.

Nigel entered the apartment with a bag of takeout.

"Dinner," He said, handing the bag to Bug.

"I'm not hungry." Lily said.

"Lily, I know this is horrible for you, but you have to eat. If you don't , you will make yourself weak and sick and that won't do Maddie any good when she comes home to you," Garret said as he got out plates and napkins.

"I'll eat after I call Woody to check in," Lily said as she stepped away from the group with her cell phone.

"She's going to collapse again if she doesn't calm down," Nigel said. "After she eats, we need to try and get her to lie down."

"Nigel's right. As soon as dinner is over, Bug, why don't you take Lily into the bedroom and convince her to take a nap. We promise to let you know if there are any updates," Garret said.

"I'll try, but I make no promises," Bug said. A few minutes later, Lily rejoined her friends.

"I tried both Woody and Jordan's cell's and got no answer, so I called the police station and they said Woody asked another Detective to look up the cell phone and credit card information, and that he would call in a few hours. If he put the work off on someone else and now both her and Jordan are not answering their phones, where the hell are they?" Lily asked, but no one had an answer.


	12. Chapter 12: Out of State Search

Night fell as Woody and Jordan landed in St. Louis. While Jordan rented a car for them to get around in, Woody called the precinct get the information on the records.

"Mandi Peters used her credit card to rent a car from here," Woody said as he went back up to the counter where Jordan had just moments ago gotten their rental car. He pulled out a flyer with Maddie's picture on one said, and Mandi Peter's on the other and showed it to the woman at the desk. "Excuse me, hi, I'm Detective Woody Hoyt with the Boston Police Department. Do you remember seeing this woman last night? We have evidence that she also rented a car for you?"

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't working last night. Let me go get the manager. He was here." She disappeared into a back room and returned moments later with an older man.

"Hi, I'm the manager here, Joe Cirkowski. How can I help you?"

"Did you see this woman here yesterday?" Woody asked, showing him the flyer. The man studied it for a minute before nodding.

"Yes, I do actually. It was a slow night and she had her hands full so I helped her load up her car."

"Was this baby with her?" Jordan asked.

"She had a baby with her, yes. I didn't get a good look as she was in a car seat, but I could tell it was a girl."

"Did she say where she was headed?" Woody asked.

"No, but she was very happy. She said everything was going to work out now. Then she left." The man said. Woody and Jordan thanked him for his time and got into their rental car. Jordan called Nigel's cell.

"Nige, where are you?" She asked when he answered the phone.

"Where am I? Where are you? Lily has been trying to call you for hours to get some information."

"Are you with her?"

"No, I left about an hour ago to try and get some sleep. I'm going back in the morning. Again, where are you?" Nigel asked.

"We're in St. Louis," Jordan informed him.

"In St. Louis? What for?"

"Mandi Peter's mom lives here. I need you to look up her address for me. We don't know her name. Can you do a search for us, ASAP?" Jordan asked.

"Sure thing, love. I'll call you back as soon as I can." He hung up and went to work on pulling up information.

While they waited for Nigel to call back, Woody and Jordan stopped at a restaurant near the airport to eat dinner. As they paid the bill, Jordan's cell phone rang.

"It's Nigel. Hey," she said as she answered the phone, "what do you have for us?" Jordan scratched out an address on a piece of paper and Woody quickly entered it into the GPS they had rented along with their car. "Thanks, Nige. We'll call you later."

"According to the GPS, Mandi Peters's mom lives about fifteen minutes away from the airport. Did Nigel give you her name?" Woody asked as he pulled the car out of the restaurant parking lot.

"Yeah, it's Sue Peters," Jordan answered.

"Alright…well, let's go pay Sue a visit."


	13. Chapter 13: Mrs Peters' Apartment

Woody pulled the car up in front of a two story apartment building in a town just outside of St. Louis.

"This is the building. Sue Peters is in apartment 7B," Jordan said.

"Alright, second floor so she won't be able to escape out a window or anything like that so I'm just going to go up and knock on the door and try to get in the door," Woody said as Jordan followed him into the building, up a staircase and down the hallway.

"2B…4B…6B…ah, here it is, 7B," Jordan said. She knocked loudly on the door. A few minutes later, a short, thin woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

"Are you Sue Peters?" Woody asked in return. The woman nodded. "I'm Detective Woody Hoyt of the Boston Police Department and this is Doctor Jordan Cavanaugh. Is Mandi Peters here?"

"Mandi? What do you want with her?" Sue asked.

"Is she here? We really need to speak with her," Jordan asked.

"No, she isn't. She took my grandbaby to the park. Why do you need to speak with her?" she asked, looking at the two in front of her.

"Your grandbaby? Ms. Peters, we need to speak with you. Do you mind if we come in?" Jordan asked softly. With a little bit of hesitation, Sue Peters opened the door and let them in. Once inside, Jordan told her about her granddaughter's death and the kidnapping of Madeline Brandau.

"That's impossible. Mandi had Ali with her. I just don't understand this!" Sue Peters cried.

Woody walked over to a table where a photograph of a baby girl was placed. He picked up the photograph and brought it back to the couch where Jordan and Sue Peters sat. He then pulled a photo of Maddie out of his pocket.

"Ms. Peters, the baby on this flyer is Madeline Brandau. Who is in this picture that you have?" he asked.

"That's Ali," Ms. Peters answered.

"Look at both of these pictures carefully. Which one did you see with your daughter today?" Woody continued. Ms. Peters studied the pictures but said nothing.

"Which one, Ms. Peters?" Jordan chimed in. Sue Peters looked at the photos again, then at Jordan.

"This one. On the flyer," she said quietly. "So…so it's true? My granddaughter has died and my daughter kidnapped this sweet baby girl?"

"I'm afraid so. Where are they now?" Jordan asked.

"They went to the grocery store. Ali….the baby was out of diapers. They should be back soon." Ms. Peters said as she buried her face in her head.

"Do you have any idea what would lead your daughter to take another woman's baby?" Woody asked.

"No…she just told me that Ali's father was coming over tomorrow and wants to see his daughter. He still lives here."

"Ali's father? I thought he was out of the picture?" Jordan said.

"He is. Or at least he was. Mandi said he called her and apologized for leaving them and wants to try and work things out."

"That could be the reason for all of this than. She needed a baby for when her ex shows up." Jordan said as she looked over at Woody.

Just then, they three of them heard the sound of keys in the doorknob.


	14. Chapter 14: Beginning of the End

Mandi Peters stepped into the apartment and was surprised to see Woody and Jordan there.

"Dr. Cavanaugh! Hi! What are you doing here?" she asked cheerfully. Jordan was surprised that Mandi didn't seem all that concerned with her.

"I came to see you, Mandi. This is Detective Hoyt."

"Hi, Ms. Peters. Please, call me Woody."

"Okay, hi, Woody. You can call me Mandi, and this is my daughter Ali," Mandi said with a smile.

"Oh Mandi!" Sue Peters said as she began to cry.

"Mom, what's wrong? What's going on here."

"We'll explain everything…but can I hold the baby? She's so cute!" Jordan asked, trying her best not to raise suspicion.

"I guess, but only for a minute. She doesn't really like strangers much," Mandi said as she handed the baby she believed to be Ali over to Jordan. When Mandi went to sit next to her mother on the couch, Jordan looked up and Woody and mouthed, "It is Maddie," to him.

"Mandi," Jordan began slowly, "Do you remember how we first met?"

"Yes, you came to my house when to take care of Ali when she was sick last week."

"Yes, I did come to your house, but not because Ali was sick. Mandi, why did I come to your house?" Jordan asked again.

"I just told you. To take care of my baby," Mandi answered, growing slightly agitated.

"No, that's not why. Remember when you went into Ali's room because she didn't wake up to be fed during the night?"

"Yes, she was just sleeping is all."

"No, she wasn't just sleeping, was she?" Jordan continued.

"I don't like what you're saying," Mandi Peter said, obviously upset. "Can you hand me back my baby now? I want Ali back."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give this baby back to you, Mandi. This baby is not yours. This is Madeline Brandau," Jordan told the woman.

"No! That's Ali! Give her to me, right now,"

"It's not Ali, sweetie," Sue Peters said, taking her daughters hand. "Ali is gone, baby. She is in Heaven."

"No! No! Stop, this is Ali! Give her to me!" Mandi yelled.

"Look at her. Take a good look. This is Maddie Brandau and she needs to go home. Her mom misses her so much." Jordan said, her voice cracking. Mandi looked at the baby girl in Jordan's arms. It suddenly all came back to her. Her baby was gone.

"Ali!" She wailed as if she were hearing the news for the first time. She collapsed to the floor as Sue Peters held her and rocked her back and forth.

Jordan looked at Mandi Peters, then up at Woody, and finally at Maddie. It was all over now. Maddie would be back where she belonged soon enough.


	15. Chapter 15: Homebound

"I just called Bug and told him Maddie was safe and had been checked out by a doctor. I told him that we're bringing her home now. He, Lily and Brandau will be waiting for us at the airport when we land," Woody said as he shoved his bag of clothes into an overhead compartment on the airplane.

"She finally stopped whimpering. I think I might just get a smile out of miss Maddie after all! She's had a rough couple of days," Jordan said as she looked at the small baby in her arms.

"It's been a rough day for all of us, her mom and dad in particular," Woody settled down in the seat next to Jordan. "Even though what she did was way beyond wrong, I feel bad for Mandi. She had it in her head that this was Ali and that Ali's father was going to come back to them. She thought they were going to be a family again. She lost that all over again. It's just sad, but you know, Jordan, I gotta say, you were amazing with Mandi Peters."

"Just doing my job is all," Jordan replied smiling at him.

"Your job is taking care of the dead. The way you handled this…it was great. You never cease to amaze me. I couldn't have done what you did for her. I probably would have just hauled her off to jail, but you helped her to see that this was not Ali and now she can start the grieving process. I'm glad you were here with me today and I'm thankful to have you by my side every day. I love you very much, Jordan."

Jordan looked up and smiled at him before leaning over to give him a kiss.

"Now, let's get this little lady home where she belongs!" Woody said after they had parted. Right on cue, Maddie looked up at him and smiled. "Look at that smile! Give me this little kid!" he said taking the baby from Jordan and speaking in a baby voice to her.

"You look pretty good holding a baby," Jordan said as she put her head on his shoulder. "You'll make a great father to a bunch of kids someday."

"Well, I must bore her because she's falling asleep," Woody said with a chuckle.

"No, you don't bore her, she feels comfortable with you. If she didn't, she'd cry. See, your already daddy material," Jordan said lifting her head to look at him.

"Any idea who would be a great mommy to all these kids you think I should have?" Woody said with a mischievous smile as he winked at Jordan.

"You're a funny guy, Hoyt…and I love you right back." The two shared another long kiss as baby Maddie slept happily in Woody's arms.


	16. Chapter 16: Finale

Lily, Bug, and Jeffrey got special permission, as well as a security escort to the airport terminal where Woody and Jordan would soon be arriving with Maddie. The anticipation was more than any of them could bear.

An airport employee had been giving the trio updates on the plane's potential arrival every few minutes. She approached them again with a smile.

"The plane will be arriving in about five minutes. You should be able to see it out the window right there. Once it lands, Dr. Cavanaugh and Detective Hoyt will be the first to exit the plane, along with your baby girl."

"Thank you…thanks so much!" Lily exclaimed as she rushed to the window to watch for the plane.

"Listen, Jeffrey, we all want to be with Maddie tonight. Why don't you come back to our place and have dinner with us. You can even sleep in the guestroom so you can spend extra time with her," Bug suggested to the baby's father.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you for the offer Bug," Jeffrey Brandau said sincerely.

"I see it! I see the plane!" Lily shrieked as Bug and Jeffrey joined her at the window. The plane was slowly taxiing to the terminal. A few minutes later, it came to a stop and the moveable walkway extended to the plane. Lily raced to the doors as they opened. Tears immediately came to her eyes when she saw first Woody, followed closely by Jordan, who had Maddie in her arms. "Maddie!" she cried out. She ran to her daughter and immediately scooped her up in her arms and showered her with hugs and kisses. Airport personnel began to clap at the happy scene. Jordan and Woody each hugged Bug and shook hands with Jeffrey. Lily handed Maddie over to her father so that he could reunite with her. Bug patiently waited for his chance. Lily took the moment to talk to Jordan and Woody.

"Jordan, next to Bug, you are my best friend. I don't know what I would do without you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for bringing my daughter back to me. I love you!" She said throwing her arms around her friend.

"I'm so happy it turned out this way. You deserve all the happiness life has to offer," Jordan responded as she struggled to hold back tears of her own.

Lily let go of Jordan after several moments and turned to Woody.

"Thank you for going above and beyond for my family. I will never forget what you have done for us. If there is ever anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask," She said.

"What, you love Jordan but not me?" Woody joked.

"Of course I love you, too! You'll always be special to me and my family."

"Well I love your family and there is nothing I wouldn't do for any of you," Woody said as he hugged Lily. Now go on, take the little princess home. He gave Maddie a quick kiss on the forehead then stepped aside so they family could pass. He smiled at Jordan and put his arm around her shoulders as the two watched Lily, Bug, Jeffrey and Maddie walk out of the airport, one big, complete, happy family.


End file.
